Combining Texts

Ideas for 'A Discourse on Method', 'Dispositions' and 'talk'

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2 ideas

10. Modality / B. Possibility / 8. Conditionals / c. Truth-function conditionals
Truth-functional conditionals can't distinguish whether they are causal or accidental [Mumford]
     Full Idea: If a conditional remains truth-functional it is incapable of expressing the fact that the connection between antecedent and consequent in the conditional is a causal one rather than merely accidental
     From: Stephen Mumford (Dispositions [1998], 03.8)
     A reaction: This is the first step towards an account of conditionals which will work in real life rather than merely in classical logic.
10. Modality / B. Possibility / 8. Conditionals / d. Non-truthfunction conditionals
Dispositions are not equivalent to stronger-than-material conditionals [Mumford]
     Full Idea: The conclusion that disposition ascriptions are not equivalent to stronger-than-material conditionals is largely to be accepted.
     From: Stephen Mumford (Dispositions [1998], 04.7)
     A reaction: [he attributes the view to C.B.Martin 1994] It is hard to see how to describe a disposition in anything other than conditional terms. Mumford's 'functional role' probably has to be described conditionally. It is how the conditional cashes out.